Without any
argument, a democratic government is the best form of
government. If you don't trust me, just ask someone
in North Korea. Oops! People in North Korea,
though, are not allowed to have any contact with the
outside world. You get the point. However, if
you still want to find out what it means to live in a
undemocratic society, try to read the blogs of people from
Iran and Cuba, for example.
Despite
appreciating the wonders of democracy, people in
democratic countries take it for granted. Contrary
to what one would expect, the more developed a democratic
country is the less likely its people are likely to
participate in the electoral process - a fact that is so
visible by just looking at the number of people who
actually go to vote (Read:
Heather Schmid composes song for Hillary Clinton). The percentage of voting in a
major election in countries like the United States or
Japan is a shame. What it does is that idiots get
elected in the process and make life miserable for those
who did not vote for them.
So how should
you register to vote and then actually go to the
polls?
-
The process to
register is very simple. You can either do
it by mail or go online or just visit the local
office. Around the time of elections, a
volunteer might do a lot of the legwork for you.
The whole process takes minutes.
-
By law, you must
be given time off to vote (no matter how long it
takes though it is unlikely that you will get
the day off).
-
Prior to
elections, pay attention to the process.
Get to know the candidates, read about their
proposals, watch a debate on television, and if
you still have questions, contact them.
-
Do not make up
your mind without doing research and thinking
about it. It is likely that you may belong
to one party but the candidate may not share
your values. In that case, do not vote
blindly for the party. Candidates matter,
not the parties.
Related:
Register to vote for Latinos |
